Best crank battery and best deep cycle for under bonnet? 1HZ.

[Benedict Smith]

G'day Legends,

I'm hoping someone here has been through this before? Excuse my ignorance but I'm always learning and keen to get this sorted for good.
My 2 current batteries are cactus. Had this confirmed by 2 separate Auto shops in town. Load tested each battery and they're in a very sad state.
Alternator is putting out 13.8 V, so it is healthy. Starter motor is 18 months old, so it's not that.

The current dual battery system is run through a Cole Hersee marine isolator. It has 4 positions and it drives me NUTS having to turn the dial every time I drive. I'd like to replace it with something like a Redarc isolator but I'm open to suggestions?

My vehicle is a Landcruiser Troopy, HZJ78, 1HZ, NA.
I run a Warn XD 9500 winch, a set of 35watt HIDs, a 22 inch light bar and 2x 18watt leds in the bull bar (spread for road side).
I use a 160 watt solar panel for topping up the batteries if camped for 2 nights or more.

My questions are as follows:

1. What is the best/most reliable crank battery I can fit under the bonnet? I'm in the Kimberley, so it has to handle the heat, the rough stuff and run the winch when it is needed.
2. What is the most reliable deep cycle battery I can fit under the bonnet? It needs to run a 65L Waeco, a few led camp lights and not much else.
3. What type of isolator can I replace the Cole Hersee with? I like the Redarc 100amp unit, but is this ok for my intended setup?
4. Do I need a DC-DC charger to keep this system in good condition? If not, will a simple isolator keep it running fine?

I think I've covered everything but I'm keen to hear your thoughts, tips and advice.
Many thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Smithy, in the Kimberley.

 

[muc the truck]

I don't have the best cranking bats at all but I have what never bloody leaks . The first 2 batteries in my turbo diesel spewed acid out all over the batty box and kissed the paint goodbye in that entire area below even off the chassis . I use Optima Blue Marine under the bonnet on the Turbo thats 3 years old and on the non turbo i have SSB AGM wich they say are fine for under bonnet and starter. Last ssb to die of mine lasted more than 6 years in a non turbo and taking it camping on a standard alternator pumping 13.8 while in the car and 14.4 when in the diesel as i bought an Australian made diode /fuse (the big 4x4 shops sell imported ones )to get a little more volts and for that reason i do not need a dc -dc charger . Nothing i ever do with these batteries will make them leak . If you can put a heat shield around the hot side of the battery with a small air gap its ideal as it will only make them last even longer. In any case the optima blue has already out lasted the normal batteries by 50% . I am sure it has another year or 2 left . So many people will disagree with me and say i am cruel putting a AGM under th bonnet and that i am sacrificing its life by giving them more amps . well the other batteries stilled died and sacrificed the paint under the bonnet . The devaluation on my vehicle caused by these batteries leaking cost me a lot more to fix than replacing a Agm 20-30% sooner than normal when there normal life span is about 7 years in the boot. I use a large cable bigger than the battery leads to charge the fridge battery so i can winch off it until the voltage drops and cuts out . This means the winching is over and done a little faster . Don't take just my word for it . Keep reading and settle on something you feel does the job and suits your budget . Breaking the bank is the quickest way to piss off the cook. Have a read here. This suits agm under the bonnet and as auxiliary . read about the fuse diode here https://www.hkbelect.com/
and the battery isolator here https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...Isolator.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3c6IoR2f9tdm-gR1BlrMct

 

[Barra GU]

Hi mate
I know youre looking for batteries to fit under your bonnet but concidering you have a troopy i just might have the best battery choice for you if you could fit it in the back somewhere...

I have had heaps of different batteries and when i was reading your requirements i couldmt help but think that my current set up is perfect for you...

I bought myself an actual Cat battery. Yes like one of those big f***ckers that those big mining trucks use... they are made to be maintenance and problem free, withstand the harshest of heats and conditions and keep going to ensure reliability...

The downside... they are huge... like 450mm long 200 high and about 250 wide...

But thats where the cons finish...

I have it pursposely because all of the comp trucks use them for there winches as they are 1500 cold cranking amps and are also 210 amp hour...

I have it in the back of my patrol and it powered my fridge without dramas throughout my tasmania journey over the last 10 days as i just got back...
It also was plenty enough cranking amps for the winch as it never bogged down at all....

My 60 litre engel uses around 3.5 amp an hour... so for it to sit there without moving i can have the car sit there for 2.5 days amd the fridge still runs... i only left it for 2 days though never wanted to push it...

Anyway best of all there only 345 bucks...

To get yourself 2 x 110amp hour batteries with each producing 800cca youd be spending minimum 250 each so these are a bargain

 

[Benedict Smith]

Hi mate
I know youre looking for batteries to fit under your bonnet but concidering you have a troopy i just might have the best battery choice for you if you could fit it in the back somewhere...

I have had heaps of different batteries and when i was reading your requirements i couldmt help but think that my current set up is perfect for you...

I bought myself an actual Cat battery. Yes like one of those big f***ckers that those big mining trucks use... they are made to be maintenance and problem free, withstand the harshest of heats and conditions and keep going to ensure reliability...

The downside... they are huge... like 450mm long 200 high and about 250 wide...

But thats where the cons finish...

I have it pursposely because all of the comp trucks use them for there winches as they are 1500 cold cranking amps and are also 210 amp hour...

I have it in the back of my patrol and it powered my fridge without dramas throughout my tasmania journey over the last 10 days as i just got back...
It also was plenty enough cranking amps for the winch as it never bogged down at all....

My 60 litre engel uses around 3.5 amp an hour... so for it to sit there without moving i can have the car sit there for 2.5 days amd the fridge still runs... i only left it for 2 days though never wanted to push it...

Anyway best of all there only 345 bucks...

To get yourself 2 x 110amp hour batteries with each producing 800cca youd be spending minimum 250 each so these are a bargain

 

[Benedict Smith]

G'day mate,
cheers for the message. I like the sound of the CAT battery! Bloody good idea. I used to drive a 60 Tonne dumpy at Savannah Nickel Mine up here and I think they used the CAT batteries or similar. Bloody BIG buggers! But it makes sense.

Is that the only battery you run in the Patrol? And is it running off the alternator? Just trying to picture it, if there's cable running all the way to the rear, do you have any voltage drop?
I'm keen to find out more mate, I'm trying to keep it simple and my dual battery setup is giving me the shits. If this is a better option, then I'm all ears.

Question: do I still need to run a 2nd battery under bonnet, just for backup? Or stick with a dedicated crank under the bonnet and use the big mumma in the back for fridge, lights, etc?

I may end up running a 2nd fridge down the track but really want to get the battery setup sorted first.

Also, will the 160 watt solar panel be enough to keep it topped up? I rarely camp in the same spot for more than 2 nights but would be good to have the option of sitting still for longer.

Cheers again for the info' and advice. I'm keen as to check them out.

Smithy

 

[Benedict Smith]

Mate, did you have a link or site for that battery? Trying to Google it and there's a truck load of sites, haha.

Cheers again

 

[SeaJay]

I use supercharge gold plus, they have a 3 yr warrantee

 

[Barra GU]

G'day mate,
cheers for the message. I like the sound of the CAT battery! Bloody good idea. I used to drive a 60 Tonne dumpy at Savannah Nickel Mine up here and I think they used the CAT batteries or similar. Bloody BIG buggers! But it makes sense.

Is that the only battery you run in the Patrol? And is it running off the alternator? Just trying to picture it, if there's cable running all the way to the rear, do you have any voltage drop?
I'm keen to find out more mate, I'm trying to keep it simple and my dual battery setup is giving me the shits. If this is a better option, then I'm all ears.

Question: do I still need to run a 2nd battery under bonnet, just for backup? Or stick with a dedicated crank under the bonnet and use the big mumma in the back for fridge, lights, etc?

I may end up running a 2nd fridge down the track but really want to get the battery setup sorted first.

Also, will the 160 watt solar panel be enough to keep it topped up? I rarely camp in the same spot for more than 2 nights but would be good to have the option of sitting still for longer.

Cheers again for the info' and advice. I'm keen as to check them out.

Smithy

Nah i run a standard main battery and have the cat battery in the back.

Its quite a simple installation.

I have bugger all voltage drop as i run zero gauge cable...

I run wire to red arc isolator up front.
Then from there i run cable to the back to the battery....
The battery powers my winch amd my engel...

Just an fyi
Like i did... rather than having another battery in the front i have also installed 2x posts (1 positive amd 1 negative ) u der the bonnet that i can attavh things to under the bonnet which are attached to the cat battery uo the back...
That way rather than having to run cables to the back every time i wamma connect anything to rear battery i can just run them to those posts under the hood.

The winch is connected to those posts under the bomnet amd saves on wiring amd time running to the back as that would be tedious work to do every time you meed to hook something to it...

So really uo back i conmect the frodge straight to it... but uo front have those posts for amything thats under the bonnet that requires power from my rear battery...
It was a no brainer for me amd love the idea...

 

[Barra GU]

 

[Barra GU]

 

[shanegtr]

when I had my 80 series I used to use an exide extreme N70 for the cranking battery. Living in the Pilbara I get simlar heat issues to the Kimberly and the exide would last about 3 years before it was catcus. I tried an optima red top cranking battery as I had heard good things about them and that they had a good lifespan. At the time it was nearly double the cost of an exide and unfortantly it didnt last any longer so I could not justify the price on another.
I've never had the same deep cycle battery twice in a row so cant really compare as I've forgotten a few of the brands that I've used over the years. But for what its worth I also had a cole hersy style battery switch, for general day to day running around I just left it on the both setting, and when out touring I'd run it on the starter for around half and hour then switched it over to the aux so it go all the charge. My switch was also mounted under the bonnet so I had to stop to switch it over - it was kinda a pain in the arse but I never had a major issue with it

 

[Chatty]

I have given up on trying to find an auxiliary battery that will survive the heat under the bonnet, and now just use a standard cranking battery in the aux slot and a Thumper gel battery in the back. So far so good...

 

[cam04]

Odyssey or optima. Unless you get some temperature compensated charging happening you are never going to get any life out of an agm under the bonnet up there. Heat kills them.

 

[2002GU3]

G'day Smithy, welcome to earth mate, as far as isolaters go, I have a Narva isolater - whilst driving it charges both batteries, when you turn off the ignition it automatically separates the two batteries so even if you run your auxillary battery right down the main crank battery will still start your car no worries, it's been on the car for around 18 months, done water crossings, rough tracks etc. still goes fine, and from memory it was just under $100 and is 140 amp.

 

[hiluxdriver]

I have a yuasa start battery thats been there a few years (don't know exactly as I didn't write the date on it). Just replaced a supercharge allrounder aux battery under the bonnet after a year and a half in WA heat - POS thing it was.
Depending on who you talk to depends on if they advise a VSR or dc dc charger. I have a ctek d250s and never had an issue in all the years I've been using it. I've not used a vsr so can't say anything good or bad about them.

 

[muc the truck]

I use supercharge gold plus, they have a 3 yr warrantee

I gave suprechrarge 2 chances. Both died under warranty with in the 3 years i lived in Darwin . Both times i had to teach the guy how to load test with the carbon pile as he was doing it shorter on the load in time so it passed. This is only my experience yours may differ.

 

[muc the truck]

View attachment 53123

almost the size of a lav battery

 

[SeaJay]

I gave suprechrarge 2 chances. Both died under warranty with in the 3 years i lived in Darwin . Both times i had to teach the guy how to load test with the carbon pile as he was doing it shorter on the load in time so it passed. This is only my experience yours may differ.

after killing a pair of batteries with Pilbara/Kimberly heat and Gibb River Rd corrugations I just went for best warrantee so at least I get 3 yrs out of them

 

[mauriceb]

I use the Supercharge Allrounder for crank and a 2nd for Aux in my 105 series and 4x4 ute. They easy last 3 years plus . I Condition them at periods on a my 7 stage charger. The 105 chargers at 14.4v with the replacement fuse diode

 

[Batts88]

With the battery isolator my neighbour has a Redarc Dual Sensing Isolator and the good thing about it is when he attaches his portable solar panel to his agm aux battery it lets power through so both aux and starter batteries are kept topped up his starter battery is a calcium.

I have been using 105ah Supercharge Allrounder batteries for over 10yrs without any problems being a calcium battery they have a higher storage capacity than a regular lead acid and can be used for a starter or deep cycle. I have a 110w solar panel connected to the Allrounder which is my starter battery I also run a Waeco CDF11 fridge off it. I was previously running an Evakool RF47 for 2 days and still able to start the vehicle before the solar panel was fitted.